Maxwell Blair and her teammates found themselves in a tight rivalry game Wednesday afternoon.
They knew visiting was better than its 5-4 record and that Mustangs goalie Megan McGinnis is headed to California-Berkeley for a reason.
Undaunted by the Mustangs’ patience, Blair took over in a second-half span that lasted a little more than three minutes. Her end-to-end rush that resulted in a goal was a thing of athletic beauty as she seemed to outrun the entire Colorado Academy roster and followed by making the Mustangs pay for a turnover in their own end as she went in alone for another goal.
Blair’s minibinge was the spark East needed in taking a in the Metro League to remain undefeated at 11-0 overall, 4-0 in league.
“A lot of us play with Megan (in club), and she’s really good,” Blair, a junior, said. “The key was getting draw control and our passing together. And we know how to get it to the back of the net.”
But not early — the Angels, ranked No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News poll, and Mustangs traded goals through the first 33 minutes. Neither team held more than a one-goal lead, and when Colorado Academy’s Kate Dunn scored with 16:39 to play, it was 6-6.
And that was just about it for Colorado Academy.
East gradually took over. Senior Helen Gaffigan gave East a lead it didn’t relinquish on a score set up by Tierra Romero — one of her five assists — before Blair all but settled it.
Almost all of the stretch run was contested, with East peppering McGinnis with shots, 36 in all, 20 in the second half. Conversely, Colorado Academy managed just 18 shots, seven after halftime.
“Maxwell’s very good, a go-getter,” Angels coach Robert Romero said. “And our defense has come along. Basically, we had a lot of offense back from last year. but our defense has been good.”
Romero admitted to some astonishment that East has done so well, but Blair isn’t.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “I’m happy.”
Blair, Tori Larson, and Gaffigan each scored three goals for East. Kelley McCarroll-Gilbert had two goals and Romero added another score as did sophomore Ellie Moran.
Upcoming for East: a Tuesday matchup at top-ranked Cherry Creek, which has seven championships since sanctioning began in 1998.
For the Mustangs, Dunn scored three goals and had two assists. Colorado Academy (5-5, 1-3) also hit the post twice when it mattered.
“The score doesn’t quite reflect the way we played,” coach Gary Secora said.
Colorado Academy 5 1 — 6
East 6 9 — 15
Goals — E: Blair 3, Gaffigan 3, T. Larson 3, L. Larson 2, McCarroll-Gilbert 2, Moran, Romero; CA: Dunn 3, Flannigan 2, Florence. Assists — E: Romero 5, Blair 2, L. Larson; CA: Dunn 2.
